


Valehtelija

by ThoseDaysThatWill



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Finnish WJC gold-medal-winning Squad, Gen, I never went to EP once while writing it, M/M, POV Alternating, Winnipeg Jets, alternate universe - fake dating, it's very much an AU, silly fluff, when in doubt blame Roope
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-11 05:22:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20148334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThoseDaysThatWill/pseuds/ThoseDaysThatWill
Summary: And so there he was standing in the middle of his own locker room, frozen in place, wondering if maybe he might be flu'ish for the Stars game instead."Sami?" Ben stepped away from the teammates he was talking to and closer to him, "Are you okay?"





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had three different lovely people send me requests for faking dating fic. And I struggled with it. I came up with this idea while driving home one day and actually remembered it long enough to get it down on paper. 
> 
> Since it's an AU, I did not check schedules and I don't have to care that certain individuals did not start the season up with their teams. In this universe... they did! It's at least based on the 18-19 season. Kinda.

"I can't do it." Sami repeated for the thousandth time. 

Patrik rolled his eyes, "Just go ask him! Stop thinking about it, just do it." 

Sami sighed, "He's going to laugh at me." 

"Probably. But you got yourself into this situation, you're the only one that can get yourself out of it. Unless you want to tell them--" 

"_No!_" Sami cut him off, "Okay, I'll talk to him." He took in a deep breath and started to cross the locker room. His eyes were on the small group of teammate that were standing together, talking and laughing together. Sami stopped halfway, watching them. No, watching _him_. Watching how he casually brushed his hair out of his eyes, how he laughed in a way that showed he really found whatever he was hearing was funny, watching how he dropped a hand on his teammate's shoulder, leaned in and said something that Sami was _positive _would have made him blush if he could have heard it. He took a couple steps backwards. He couldn't do this, he couldn't embarrass himself like this. Why did he ever open his mouth?! Why did he get himself into this?! 

It had all started months ago, when Roope scored his first goal for the Stars. Sami, being the good friend that he is, called him to congratulate him. They talked a few times a month, so each call contained a lot of catching up. For the most part, that was Roope bragging about all the guys he'd seduced and sometimes actual dates with a guy he swore he wasn't dating. Sami never had stories like that, so he told him about hockey or things he'd heard from friends back home. Roope noticed that Sami never shared _those_ kinds of stories and pressed about it. Sami kept trying to deflect it, but he wouldn't let up. So Sami heard the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop himself, "I'm seeing someone on my team." 

He had known it was stupid to say the moment he'd said it, but he couldn't take it back. He should have known that he wouldn't let it drop at that, and he didn't. He wanted to know who, he wanted details. Sami had never been one to run around sleeping with the whole National team like most of the guys seemed to be, so the idea that he had a boyfriend was _big _news to the guys. He wasn't going to get away without giving them a name. And it wasn't like he could make someone up, they could read a roster. He wished he had said 'from back home' because he could have bribed one of his buddies to lie for him, but those weren't the words that came out of his stupid mouth. He thought about saying Patrik, but they'd never believe him, even if he agreed to lie about it. Patrik couldn't stop talking about Nikolaj every chance he got, and they all knew it. He couldn't think fast enough to come up with a good lie and Roope kept pressing, which was his excuse more words coming out of his stupid mouth yet again, "My partner, Ben." 

It wasn't a full twenty-four hours later before _all _of their friends knew about it. A couple of them had called Patrik, who obviously knew nothing about it, and he literally smacked Sami for not telling him. And then smacked him again when he found out that it had been a lie. It was also Patrik that pointed to the 'upcoming games' board a couple days later. They were going to be playing Dallas in three days. They both knew that Roope would want to meet his so-called boyfriend and if he didn't introduce them, Roope would go find the guy on his own. That was when Patrik started on his 'brilliant' idea of admitting what he'd done to Ben and asking him to play along just as long as the Stars were around. Patrik thought he seemed like the kind of guy that would. The idea of asking him made Sami feel nauseous. 

And so there he was standing in the middle of his own locker room, frozen in place, wondering if maybe he might be flu'ish for the Stars game instead.

"Sami?" Ben stepped away from the teammates he was talking to and closer to him, "Are you okay?"

Sami blinked a few times, "Uh... Fine. I'm fine." He lied.

Ben stepped closer and looked like he might even want to put a hand on his forehead to check for temperature, though he didn't. "You don't look fine. You look like you're about to pass out. You want to sit down?"

Sami quickly shook his head, "I'm okay. I just... I, uh..."

Ben gave a little laugh, which was an awfully unfair sound, "Really, I think you should sit down. C'mon." He put his hand on Sami's arm and lead him over to the bench, "_Sit_. I don't need my partner fainting out there. Did you eat today?" 

Obediently, Sami sat down, "Yes. I had breakfast."

Ben nodded, "Okay, good. Well, drink some gatorade, that'll help." He grabbed a bottle off the shelf and handed it to him, "How do you feel about red?"

"I like blue better, but it's not as bad as orange." Sami felt a little tension ease as he sipped from the bottle. 

"Everyone likes blue better. Can't stand the red stuff personally. Once when I was a kid, my mother gave it to me when I was sick and--"

Sami held a hand up, giving an involuntary shudder, "I know this one. Don't say it." 

Ben laughed, "It'll cure you of ever drinking red gatorade really fast." 

"That is so gross." Sami took another drink, but refused to look at the bottle in his hand.

He shrugged, "Eh, I've been called worse." He flashed him a grin, and if Sami was starting to regain his composure, that ruined it. "You look like you're getting some color back. Good." 

Sami didn't want to point out that the 'color' was 'blushing', so he didn't say anything. 

"Are you driving yourself home?" Ben asked. "I don't know if you should." 

Sami nodded, "I am _fine._ I promise." 

Ben shook his head, "How about if I drive you home, and I can pick you up for the game?" 

Sami took in a deep breath. All the reasons he should say no to that suddenly disappeared and all he could think of was being in a car alone with him. Maybe then he'd work up the courage to ask him. Maybe if there wasn't a chance anyone could overhear him laughing at him, he would actually do it. "Uh... maybe okay." He mentally stepped on his own foot, that came out sounding so dumb and he knew it. 

But of course Ben made no indication of how dumb he sounded. Ben never made fun of him when he mixed up his English. Instead he just smiled, "Good. You ready to go?" 

Sami nodded and headed out to the lot, not looking at him. They didn't speak for a good five minutes of the drive except for Sami giving directions. The radio was on, but turned so low that Sami couldn't make out what song it was. He thought about turning it up and he thought about turning it off, but he did neither of those things, and just watched the buildings go by out the window. 

"Are you okay?" Ben asked, breaking the silence, "You've been weird lately. I don't mean that in a bad way, just quiet I guess. Even for you." 

Sami looked over to him. It was now or never. "Well... I have a problem..." 

"Yeah?" Ben glanced at him quickly, "Is it with one of the guys? Something we can deal with?" 

"No, nothing like that. You see.... I have this friend..." 

Ben smirked, "_Oh. _One of _those _problems. One of those 'don't know how to say it' problems? Not a team guy though? Someone from back home?" 

Sami gave a short sigh, "No, not _that! _This friend is just a friend. But well.... you see... he is very.... uh, _popular?" _

Ben laughed, "As in 'doesn't go home alone' popular?" 

Sami nodded, "Yes, that is what I mean. And I know him from home and from the National Team and... we were talking and he was saying how he had so many... uh... _friends_, you know what I mean? And I... well, I... _don't_. So he was saying things to me. All the time he was saying things. And I... well, I said... I said I have a boyfriend who is on the team and..." He sighed. 

"And you don't." Ben finished. 

Sami nodded, keeping his eyes down, "I don't. And... my friend, he plays for Dallas." 

"_Oh. _And they're coming to town tomorrow. And he wants to meet this guy." Ben's voice was smirky but Sami didn't dare look at him. 

Sami sighed miserably, "Mmhmm."

"Did you tell him _what _teammate?" Ben asked. 

"Uh... yeah... I said _you_." Sami squeezed his eyes shut to wait for it. 

Ben coughed out a sudden laugh, "Oh." He stopped the car at a red light and looked over to him, "Yeah, I'll do it." 

Sami snapped his eyes open and looked at him, "_What?!" _

Ben laughed, "You were going to ask me to fake it, right? That's why you looked like you were going to pass out. You could have just told me. I get having asshole friends that lay into you about stuff like that. So yeah, I'll lie to your friend for you." 

Sami's eyes went wide, "You really would?" 

Ben put his eyes back on the road, driving ahead, "Yeah. Think about what I get out of it." 

"What? What do you get?" Sami asked, confused. 

Ben smirked, "You're going to have to kiss me to _really_ convince him." 

Sami just blinked at him, but didn't say a word. He was much too afraid of what would come out of his mouth if he dared to open it. He just watched Ben smirk and felt his stomach flip-flop around inside him. He was so focused on that, he nearly forgot to point out the last turn. When Ben pulled into the lot beside his building, Sami did all he could not to whimper when the smirk was turned fully on him. He knew his cheeks were bright red and he could barely think at all, not to mention thinking in English. "Kiitos." 

"You're welcome. But don't give me any more Finnish than that. That's all I know. Well, all I know that can be said in polite company. Joel did teach me a couple other words." Ben grinned. "Sami, your buddy is never going to believe you if you keep looking at me like you're about to pass out. _Relax_." 

_Easy for you to say! _he thought, but of course didn't say. Instead he took in a deep breath, and then another, and tried to will his cheeks to blush less. "I'm not going to pass out." 

"Uh huh." Ben reached over to tuck a strand of Sami's hair behind his ear, "You have to give me the details so we're telling the same story." 

Sami knew full well that Ben had said words and they were in a language he professed to understand but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out a single thing he said. "What?" 

Ben laughed, letting his hand fall back in his lap, "Invite me up to your apartment and we'll talk about this."

Sami nodded, "Yeah... that is a good... a good idea." Every fiber of his being knew that was a _terrible _idea, but it was too late to turn back now. 

He managed to lead them upstairs and into his apartment without going the wrong way, tripping on his own feet, or making an ass of himself. The fact that he considered this an accomplishment was as sad and pathetic as he could get, he thought. He told Ben to sit on the couch while he disappeared into the kitchen, on the pretext of getting them something to drink. Instead he just stood with an iron grip on his counter, breathing slowly and deeply. "Älä ole idiootti." He whispered over and over, like a mantra, until he felt his cheeks cool down. 

"Are you okay?" Ben asked, from the doorway. 

Sami's eyes snapped over to him, "I'm _fine. _What did you want to drink?" 

"Just water." Ben slipped up behind him, putting his hands on his shoulders, massaging, digging his fingers in just the right spots, "You need to relax." 

Sami let out a very soft, _very _involuntary whimper, letting his shoulders drop and his eyes close, "I feel stupid about this whole thing." 

Ben continued the massage at the sounds it drew out of Sami, "No need to. We've all said things that we regret. It's not a big deal. We can get through one game together." 

"I owe you." Sami murmured. 

Ben laughed, "Yeah, you do. I'll come up with a good way for you to pay me back." He let go of Sami's shoulders, causing another whimper, this one of disappointment. 

"You're good at that." He admitted, turning towards the fridge, purposefully avoiding facing him _just yet_. The cold of the water bottle helped calm him down. He stood behind the island and handed the second bottle across to Ben. 

"_Kiitos_." He flashed a grin that did nothing towards helping Sami calm down, and after a long drink from the water bottle, he continued, "So, how long have we been dating?" 

Sami sighed, "Uh... I told him... mmm, three weeks? Yes, I think three weeks ago. But I never said how long it was. Maybe since I have been up here?" 

Ben nodded, "That works. I assume you're going to meet him for dinner tomorrow? You want to pick me up?" 

"Yeah... I can do that. Roope, he does a lot of talking, he might not ask too many questions. I never told him much, just that--" He looked down to the counter and felt his face blush right back up again. 

Ben laughed, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell him how great the sex is." 

"Thank you. He likes to brag about that _so much, _I say things that I should not have said.... But he just doesn't shut up and I _had _to. And Pate, he is _no _help because he brags too about what _he _has and says he has never seen me with nobody." Sami rolled his eyes, "I didn't mean to bring you into this, but you were the one that jumped into my mind when I got mad at how he was making fun of me." 

"I told you, it's not a problem. But you should be able to stand next to me without looking like you're going to faint _before _we go hang out with him." He moved around the island, closer to him, "And you should get used to me kissing you." He reached out to slide a hand into Sami's hair, pulling him into a kiss. 

It wasn't the first time he'd been kissed, but it was the first time that a kiss made him feel lightheaded and dizzy. Sami wrapped his arms around his waist, party because he needed to hold on, and partly because he wanted Ben even closer to him. When he realized it wasn't just a quick peck, he actively kissed him back, participating rather than just receiving. He heard a soft sigh and wasn't sure if it came from him or Ben, but in the moment it didn't matter. It took Sami a moment to blink his eyes open after Ben broke the kiss. "Oh wow." He hadn't meant to say it, but it came out completely unbidden. 

Ben smirked, "Thanks. I don't think we're going to have a problem with _that_." 

_Speak for yourself, _Sami thought, but thankfully didn't say. Instead, he nodded, and took a drink from his water bottle, before he spoke, "Yeah. I think that will be okay." 

Ben glanced at his watch, "I better be going. But I'll come get you before the game." 

"I was... I was going to cook some chicken and... _parsakaali_, whatever you say that in English. If you want to stay, I have enough." Sami offered. 

Ben smiled. Not a smirk, but a genuine smile. It made Sami feel as lightheaded as the kiss had. "Sure. That sounds good."


	2. Chapter 2

Ben had thought he could handle this. He was doing his teammate, his _partner, _a favor. That was all, nothing more than that. Sure he had noticed Sami was good looking, and if he had seemed receptive, he would have gone to bed with him, but that would have been all. A tumble and nothing more. And right up until that moment, he had convinced himself that was true. But then he found himself looking around his closet, actually _thinking _about what he was going to wear, so he would look good. He wasn't one for fashion, he wore what was comfortable. But he'd picked out, and passed on, three shirts already, and was still looking through his clothes. The restaurant that Sami had decided on wasn't overly fancy, but it wasn't jeans and a t-shirt either. And he wanted to make a good impression. If they were going to do this, he told himself, it made sense to do it _right_. That was the _only _reason he was putting so much thought into it. He yanked down a dark gray button up, and put it on, almost angrily, as he walked back into his bedroom. "What the fuck is wrong with me?"

Bailey picked her head up from where she'd sprawled across the foot of the bed, and gave a soft _woof_.

"Exactly. I need to get a fucking grip." He said both to his reflection in the mirror and to the dog behind him. The sound of his ringing phone startled both of them, and he grabbed it off the nightstand to silence it. This, however, didn't stop Bailey from barking unhappily and loudly. "Hello?" He answered, speaking up over the barks.

"Hey. Um, I'm here. Is... everything okay?" Sami asked, raising his voice over the sound of the barks as well.

Ben laughed, "Yeah, Bailey doesn't like it when the phone rings. I usually have it on vibrate, but I didn't want to miss your call, so..." He ran a hand over Bailey's head and back, trying to calm her down. It worked well enough that he could hear himself think, which was a terrible thing. Bailey, for her part, huffed at him and settled back down on the bed.

"Oh. Tell Bailey I said sorry. Um, are you ready?" He asked.

Ben gestured that Bailey follow him downstairs, "Yeah, I'll be right out. Five minutes."

Sami made some kind of agreeing sound and hung up. Ben shoved his phone in his pocket, and made sure his dog had everything she needed in the backyard before closing the slider and heading for the front door. If he stopped to check his hair in the hall mirror, that was his business. By the time he slid into the passenger's seat, he had his best easy smile in place, and none of the thoughts that troubled him earlier weren't allowed to bounce around in his head anymore. And then he actually looked at Sami. _Oh fuck_.

He couldn't put a finger on exactly what was different, but whatever it was, it _worked_. It worked _too damn well_. Sami had on a shirt that, Ben was frustrated to notice, was the exact color of his eyes. Or maybe it was that the shirt brought out the blue of his eyes. Either way, he wasn't prepared for what that did for him. His hair was down but tucked fiercely behind his ears, but even then Ben could tell that he'd done something to it that made him want to reach out and--- he didn't know what. What he did know was that he felt his breath hitch just a little, which surprised the hell out of him. "You... look _good_."

Sami blushed and ducked his head, "Thank you. So do you."

Ben smiled, "But... can I make a suggestion?"

Sami glanced at him, "What?"

He reached over and untucked his hair from behind his ears, maybe running his fingers through it a little more than necessary. Ben did absolutely everything he could to ignore the sounds that came from Sami at that, but he wondered if even his cheeks were starting to flush as much as Sami's were. He kept his other hand strategically placed in his own lap. "I know you're just going to tuck it back again, but... for a little while?" He grinned.

Sami gave him a shy smile, but didn't say anything. Instead, he put all of his focus on backing the car out of the driveway, and managed not to tuck his hair back behind his ear until they were up on the main road, which was all of ten minutes. Ben just reached out and untucked it again with a soft chuckle.

Sami huffed, "It gets in my face."

"I guess I should just be glad you didn't put it up." Ben laughed.

Sami glanced over to him out of the corner of his eye, "It looks bad?"

Ben shook his head, "No, I'm just saying this looks _better_. I would figure you'd be used hearing that by now. Whatever boyfriends you've had in the past must have had their hands in your hair all the time."

Sami didn't say anything for a moment, but Ben noticed his grip getting tighter on the wheel. When he finally did speak, he didn't look at him, "I never had one."

Ben raised an eyebrow, "Seriously? _You?" _

Sami's brows furrowed, "What does _that_ mean?"

Ben laughed, "Nothing that deserves that look. I just never took you for the one night stand type."

"I'm _not_."

It was Ben's turn to look confused, "But then if you--" Light dawned and his eyes went a little wide, "Oh. _Ohhh. Really?"_

Sami sighed sharply, "You don't have to say it like that!"

Ben bit back a smile, "There's nothing wrong with it, I was just surprised. It couldn't be from lack of offers."

Sami shook his head, "Like you say, I am not a one night stand type and my friends, my teammates...." He sighed, "They _are_. So I turn that down. And all they talk about who they sleep with and what they do. All the time. That is how I get into this trouble, because they talk about it, and then they want me to talk about it and I have nothing to say so they give me shit about that. All the time. Finally I tell them this lie."

Ben noticed how much thicker his accent got when he was flustered and he found he enjoyed the sounds more than he expected to. It made him wonder how _else_ to fluster him enough to hear it again. "I get it." Ben grinned at him, "Don't worry, I'll tell him how _fantastic_ in bed you are."

If it was possible for Sami to blush more, he did in that moment, "Kiitos." He paused, and then added, "I think."

Ben let the conversation lull for a while, giving the blush a chance to fade from Sami's cheeks. But he watched him. Twice he noticed Sami's hand start to go up to his ear to tuck his hair and twice he watched him stop himself. That silly little gesture started a flutter in Ben's stomach that he wasn't at all prepared for. Try as he might, he couldn't quite get it to go away completely, mostly because part of him didn't want it to.

"So..." He broke the silence because his own thoughts were getting too loud. "Is your friend bringing a date?"

He rolled his eyes so dramatically, that Ben laughed out loud. "_No," _Sami's voice was already full of more sarcasm than he'd ever heard from him, "He wanted to bring _Miro_. But I said no. He is not a date anyway."

Ben blinked at him, "What is _Miro_?" He matched Sami's tone without really understanding it.

Sami groaned, "I don't know _what _he is, but _who _he is is a teammate."

Ben snorted, "Did you just correct _my_ English?"

Sami scoffed, "No! I _don't _know what he is." He shook his head, "When we were younger, Roope had Sepe and they are very good together. But like I said, my friends are one night stand type of people so..." He shrugged, "They sleep with _everyone, _and they don't say 'boyfriend'. But then Sepe is in Carolina and Roope goes to Dallas, _with _Miro. And _Miro_ has a boyfriend, but that does _not _stop him from sleeping with Roope. But _shhh _don't tell anybody. I said Roope is too good for that, to be _lutka_ for some kid-- he is _younger _than us! Roope could have _anyone_, so I don't know why he bothers with this asshole. I told him that but he got mad. So I said he shouldn't bring him."

Ben wasn't entirely sure that half of that rant wasn't in Finnish, but he understood enough to get the point. It wasn't like Sami's friend was the first one to be in _that _spot. "Some guys... you can't tell them anything."

Sami rolled his eyes, "He _never_ listens to me. I told Sepe to tell him, but he don't _even_ listen to him. But really he is _no _help, because on _his_ team--" He shook his head, "We can deal with that when Carolina comes to play us."

Ben couldn't help the smile, "_We_ can?"

Sami's cheeks flushed bright pink immediately and he bit his lip. "_Vittu_." He took in a deep breath and focused harder on pulling into the parking spot than was really necessary, "I mean _I _will deal with that."

Ben rested a hand on Sami's thigh. He felt him startle, but he didn't move the hand. "I don't mind. How many friends do you have that know about _us?"_

"Uh..." He frowned, still looking out the windshield, "Some..."

"_Sami_." Ben squeezed his leg a little, "How many?"

He sighed, "Roope told... _everyone_. Pate, he was so mad. They called him and he didn't know what they were talking about! He _hates_ to look like he's not in on stuff, especially on his own team!"

Ben took in a deep breath, "Pretend like I didn't play for the Finnish National Team. What does _everyone _mean? Can you list it in terms of NHL teams?"

"Um..." Sami started counting on his fingers, "Dallas, Colorado, Edmonton, Toronto, Carolina, and us. That is the ones that are never in the AHL."

"So, five. So that's... twelve and four, sixteen games? And maybe more if the injuries fall right?" Ben asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sami nodded slowly, "I didn't think of it that way, but yes."

Ben laughed, "What was that about owing me?"

Sami sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't--"

But Ben didn't let him finish that thought before he leaned across the seats and kissed him. He felt Sami startle, and then relax. It was when he could feel him actively kissing him back that he slid a hand into his hair, letting his eyes close. He had just started to forget the reason behind the kiss in the rush of he-didn't-want-to-think-of-what that came with kissing him, when there was a sharp knock on the window. Sami startled and pulled away quickly. Ben smirked, leaving his hand purposefully still tangled in his hair, "Is that your friend?"

Sami nodded, and whispered, "That was good." He rolled the window down, "Sorry, I got distracted."

Roope rolled his eyes, "Nuolkaa omalla ajallanne. Meillä on vain tämä päivä."

Sami rolled his eyes right back at him, but Ben noticed that whatever it was he said flushed Sami's cheeks even more than his kiss had. Sami gestured at Roope to get in the backseat, "Be nice. And speak English."

Roope scoffed, "I'm _always _nice. But I hate English. Make him learn." He made a slight face at having to sit in the back, but did so anyway.

"I'm working on it, but it's not the kind of language you learn in a few months." Ben turned in his seat, offering his hand, "I've heard a lot about you. Nice to finally meet you."

Roope smirked, shaking his hand, "Nice to finally know you exist. We haven't heard _nearly _enough stories about you. Our boy isn't a big storyteller."

Ben shook his head, "Maybe to you. I've heard plenty. It's nice to put a face with a name. But I guess I have to wait for our game against Carolina to complete the picture?"

Sami choked on a laugh, and hit the breaks just in time not to drive through a red light. Ben caught the look Sami gave him out of the corner of his eye and if he had been the blushing sort, he would have done so. As it was, the look caused a reaction in the other direction.

Roope shot Sami a glare in the rearview, and his voice was _too _even, "Are we meeting Pate there?"

At Sami's nod, Ben raised an eyebrow, "Are they _both_...?" Sami bit his lip and nodded again, keeping his eyes on the road. Ben sighed, "You didn't mention _that_."

"Um, oops?" Sami glanced at him very briefly.

"You're lucky you're cute." Ben shook his head, but couldn't help grin at the blush that drew from Sami. He ran his hand over Sami's on the gearshift.

Roope groaned, "How did _he _land someone like _you?"_

Ben shrugged, "I'm just lucky. I have no clue how he's been single this long. I mean _look _at him."

Roope rolled his eyes, "I've seen him. And yeah, he's not ugly, but look at _you_. How were _you _single that long?"

Ben scoffed, "I didn't date before him. Didn't figure I would either, but when it's right, it's right. I'm not stupid enough to let someone _this_ good get away."

"Damn." Roope laughed. "You still don't seem like Sami's _type_."

"What's Sami's _type?" _Ben asked.

Roope shrugged, "I don't know, but you're _too_ smooth. I always thought he would get with someone like Veini. Or Julius."

Sami shook his head, "Not even close to my type. _Maybe _Valtteri, but not Julius."

Roope scoffed, "_Anyone _would get with him. That's not a type, that's not being _blind_."

Sami laughed, "Maybe." He glanced over to Ben, "Julius is on Roope's team, I played with him growing up."

Ben nodded, "Mmhmm, I was following. I appreciate the English."

"Do you have to fuck in English?" Roope blurted out, "That would suck."

Ben laughed, "I've learned _those _words in Finnish, he says them often enough."

Roope raised an eyebrow, "He's a _talker?" _

Ben smirked, "Well... he gets _loud, _but it's not always _words_. I know if I get him to forget all his English, I'm doing something right."

"How often do you get it right?" Roope asked, unabashedly.

"Ask _him_."

Sami was already blushing, this only made it worse, "_A lot_. This morning..." He stole a quick glance over to him.

Ben laughed, "_Definitely _this morning."

"You two are making me sick." Roope shook his head.

Sami just laughed, putting the car in park, gesturing to the car beside them, "Do you think you'll be able to make it through dinner with _them_?"

Roope rolled his eyes, "Pate is _worse_, isn't he?"

Ben and Sami nodded in unison, but it was Ben that spoke, "They're sickening by our locker room standards, and that's saying something."

"Why did I agree to this?" Roope muttered to himself, as he got out of the car.

Sami took that moment to lean in closer to Ben, whispering, "_Thank you_."

Ben grinned, "I'm having fun." Before he could tell himself it could be dangerous, he reached out a hand to brush through Sami's hair, leaning in to kiss him. He made sure to keep the kiss brief enough that he still had control of himself, but long enough that it _looked _good. Yeah, that was the only reason he did it, for show. "Fifteen more games, eh?" He flashed him a grin before turning away to get out of the car.

He noticed it took Sami a few moments more before he moved. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so it's going to be a little longer than I expected... Part three is upcoming. (We have to give Patrik a chance to join the fun.)


End file.
